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flyfshr · 07-11-2009, 08:23 AM

Very nice work Marcus, and a great practice piece. Love how you kept the grain along the drawer fronts. Oh, and congratulations to you and Mrs. Utee94.

Brad
FF

BarryIowa · 07-11-2009, 08:32 AM

Maybe you'll luck out and have twins like we did after having one child!!!

Your desk looks amazing!

Aage · 07-11-2009, 09:29 AM

Love the desk, Marcus!

And all the best to you and the missus on your second child.

pbearsailor · 07-11-2009, 11:18 AM

Best wishes from me as well.

Years ahead for me, but I've got plans for similar construction up front in mine too. Are you using one ply of the bendy birch or are you laminating two pieces? Does your framing follow the curve or is it just on the straight bits?

Keep up the great work, Marcus.

cheers,
steve

utee94 · 07-11-2009, 11:58 AM

Thanks guys, appreciate all the well wishes and good words.

Barry-- Twins? Wow, were they a complete surprise? So far the doctors have only detected one, and since we're less than two months away, I think that's all. This one is a boy, so now we'll have one of each.

Steve-- There are just a couple of curved pieces, top and bottom, that the 1/8" bending birch plywood wraps around. If the piece were taller than 29", I might consider adding in a third piece in the middle. I just used one ply of the bending plywood, glued and clamped to the frame. The glue holds up pretty well on its own, but in a few spots where it seemed it would be less conspicuous I used some brad nails. Staples would be even better, but I'm out of staples for my air stapler, so the brad nails had to do. You must use very low pressure, otherwise they'll shoot right through the 1/8" plywood. Ask me how I know this...

Here's a picture of the streetside twin bed frame from my earlier post that shows the curved pieces (made from a 3" x 3" block of 3/4" plywood, formed to a 3" radius using a jigsaw and belt sander):

You can also see the angled supports I screwed into the frame to strengthen that joint, and I used this exact same construction method for
the desk.

I'm almost done with the curbside twin frame now, and I'll try to remember to take some more detailed step by step shots on that one and post them up.

One thing's for sure, I need at least 2x as many clamps as I currently have. I was improvising all kinds of crazy methods to keep it secure, including some weights from my bar bell set, among other things.

-Marcus

Jim & Susan · 07-11-2009, 12:25 PM

As usual, great looking work Marcus. What did you use to finish the birch on the desk?

Jim

pbearsailor · 07-11-2009, 05:14 PM

Thanks, Marcus, that helps.

cheers,
steve

utee94 · 07-11-2009, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

As usual, great looking work Marcus. What did you use to finish the birch on the desk?

Jim

I used Minwax Polycrylic, satin finish. A few coats with light sanding in between in increasingly fine grit.

I'm accustomed to using polyurethane, but the polycrylic doesn't off-gas as much and I knew I needed to get the pieces inside ASAP. I've used it for selected projects around the house and it always surprises me how it comes out of the can milky white, but dries clear. It's a decent finish, especially when you want low-impact as far as fumes go.

utee94 · 07-16-2009, 07:41 PM

I've been working on other projects this week, but did manage to get some time in on the curbside twin. I told a couple of people that I'd include some more detailed shots, so here they are.

The curbside twin is the one with all of the drawers, so it is a bit more complex in construction. When I rounded the corners, I lost about six inches off the front surface, so the drawers had to be pinched in. I accomplished this by turning the 1x2 framing members 90 degrees from their original orientation. From above, you can see that the top of the front, and the top of the sides and back, are the only original framing members I retained. The rest is all new.

I also decided to change the layout. Originally the four small drawers were in a 2x2 grid at the fore end of the bed, and the two large drawers were one after another aftward. I decided to make it symmetrical, with two small drawers, then the two large drawers in the middle, and the two final small drawers at the back.

Below is some detail on the rounded corners. I took a piece of good 3/4" plywood and cut it into 3" x 3" squares. Then I clamped two pieces together at a time, used a compass to trace out a 3" arc on them, and cut with the jigsaw. I then used pocket holes through the straight wooden pieces around it, and drove the screws into the flat parts of the curved pieces. Before I fasten on the bending plywood outer skin, I'll use a belt sander to smooth it out and make it completely even with the framing timber around it. Also, I used angled pieces to provide extra support to the joint.

Here's a shot of the bottom curve and support:

After it's all glued and screwed together, it is incredibly sturdy. One thing I've noticed is that the factory used only mechanical fasteners and no glue. I am using both in order to make the joints very strong.

Another part I re-used is the drawer slides. They worked well and lasted for 46 years, so I don't see any reason to change them. I'll be re-using the drawers as well, with new veneers, and a thorough cleaning of course.

And here it is with a test-fit of some of the drawers. I will need to shave about 1/8" off the sides of each drawer front so they will all fit after the "shrinking" I did with the front, due to the curves.

Next I will skin it with the 1/8" bending birch, and put on 3-4 coats of polyurethane. The drawer fronts will be re-veneered, and new hardware will be added. Then, it will be time to move on to the next project.

-Marcus

65CV · 07-16-2009, 08:05 PM

Marcus-

I have to come out of the woodwork and tell you about a "This is a Marcus shot" comment.

I was working on our Caravel bath and was epoxying a 1/4 inch piece of plywood to the bottom. A friend was over and we were fixing a leak on his boat a the same time.

When we stopped to relax, I wish I had the camera ready. There were weights on top of the plywood, with a beer perfectly placed on top.

I told my friend -- that's a Marcus shot -- and had to explain.

Great work. I continue to follow it and don't comment enough.

John

utee94 · 07-21-2009, 12:38 PM

Heh... thanks for the story, John. Definitely sounds like my kind of moment.

Thanks for following along, I'm really enjoying this part quite a bit. I should have a lot more photos of some major progress coming soon.

-Marcus

BarryIowa · 07-22-2009, 06:19 AM

Hi Marcus,
You are making such great progress and you know how we all enjoy pictures.......come on now!

utee94 · 07-22-2009, 06:26 AM

Hey Barry, you done with polishing yet???

Yeah yeah, you are not the only one bugging me for progress pictures. I actually had the audacity to take my family on vacation to the beach for a long weekend, but now I'm back on trailer project as my #1. It has to be done in the next couple of weeks, because I also have some major home projects to finish before the new baby comes 6 weeks from now, not the least of which is painting the room, assembling the crib, and building more living room storage for the items being displaced from what was previously our office.

Yes, it is a ton of work to finish in just a couple weeks, so wish me luck, and the good news is that the updates should be coming fast and furious now.

-Marcus

BarryIowa · 07-23-2009, 05:51 AM

Still polishing. I'm hoping I can fit through the 14" opening in the roof

That would save a ton of work. The first cut is done except for the top middle.

Good luck getting everything done in the next few weeks and with the baby!

nmbosa · 07-23-2009, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryIowa

Still polishing. I'm hoping I can fit through the 14" opening in the roof

That would save a ton of work. The first cut is done except for the top middle.

Good luck getting everything done in the next few weeks and with the baby!

Barry, unless you are remarkably skinny, I don't think you will fit through the vent opening without removing the frame. Ryan drilled out his vent frames and was then able to stand up through them to polish. But he was already planning to replace his originals vents with Fantastic Fans. I just climbed up on the roof to get that center section. It is a bit alarming at first, but as long as you keep your weight distributed over the ribs, it is plenty strong.
Norm

nmbosa · 07-23-2009, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by utee94

I actually had the audacity to take my family on vacation to the beach for a long weekend, but now I'm back on trailer project as my #1.
-Marcus

Takes a lot of nerve Marcus

. Come on now, throw us a bone. You are in the home stretch. Can we expect an after-action report once you've taken the completed trailer out on it's first post-rehabilitation cruise?

utee94 · 07-23-2009, 06:47 AM

But of course.

Don't worry, you'll get your progress reports, and soon. I have plans to get a lot of work done over the next couple of days.

I'm hoping to take the completed trailer out to a nearby campsite at some point in mid-August for its first post-rehab outing, and then the baby is due on September 3rd.

I'm also planning on using it for tailgating this football season, so it HAS to be done, and soon!

A-Merry-Can · 07-23-2009, 07:16 AM

man, it's looking great! That desk is really cool. I need to make a new desk for my office... I'm inspired!

:-D

utee94 · 07-23-2009, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Merry-Can

man, it's looking great! That desk is really cool. I need to make a new desk for my office... I'm inspired!

:-D

Ha! YOU are inspired by MY use of curved edges? REALLY?

Thanks for the kind words anyway JP. It looked so amazing in your Footer I had to try it out. As you say, it's more difficult than doing square edges, but SO worth it.

And I like the look of the natural wood, too. I wanted dark wood in the back, but I might use some of the natural wood in the galley and front lounge when I get to that part. We'll see.